1. Technical Field
The invention relates to a method for determining the spatial distribution of the traffic volume within a radio cell of a cellular mobile radio communications network as well as a computation unit for carrying out the method and a mobile radio communications network including the computation unit.
2. Discussion of Related Art
From the product information "Digital Cellular Traffic Hotspot Detector" by the company Motorola, Swindon, Great Britain, there is known a method of this type for determining the traffic volume within a radio cell of a cellular mobile radio communications network operating according to the GSM standard (GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications). In the method "Hotspot Detection" described therein, a test signal transmitter is placed at a test location in the service area of the mobile radio communications network. A test signal is subsequently transmitted by the test signal transmitter and then received by the mobile stations located in the service are of the mobile radio communications network. Each of the mobile stations which receives the test signal, measures and reports the receive level to the current base station ("base station currently serving the cell"). In a computer connected to the base station, the receive levels reported by several mobile stations are evaluated in order to determine, if the test location is suitable for establishing a base station. As described therein, the test location is judged to be suitable if the test signal received by the majority of the mobile stations is stronger than a broadcast sent by the current base station. Consequently, according to methods known in the art, a test signal transmitter has to be used and placed at a test location. Moreover, the test signal transmitter has to transmit a test signal which can be suitably received by the mobile stations.